Rania Khalek Dispatches from the Underclass

Congressional Rep Jamaal Bowman joined Rania Khalek to discuss the bipartisan AIPAC-funded campaign to push him out of office, his evolution on Palestine, his views on the Biden administration and what comes next.

The ways of war are changing. Artificial intelligence is used to bomb families in Gaza. Flying drones are deployed to track down refugees on the US-Mexico border. But the biggest change is the one we talk about the least: the privatization of war. From Yemen to Sudan, Syria to Nigeria, tens of thousands of guns for hire now fight on behalf of foreign powers. For Episode 7 of “The International,” a world-spanning video series brought to you by Jacobin and the @ProgIntl, Rania Khalek tells the story of how we got here. It is the tale of an infamous US firm known as Blackwater and the rise of the secret mercenary armies that have pushed warfare into the shadows.

BT’s Rania Khalek appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored to debate Israel’s destruction of Gaza and invasion of Rafah. It was one against three but she held her own.

Here’s a clip of the episode if you can’t stomach the guests:

Why does Europe support Israel so much? What does Europe gain from the occupation of Palestine and further escalation across the Middle East? How much of this is Europe following its own interests versus being subservient to US imperial designs in the region, as we’ve seen with Ukraine? Is Europe actually united on this or are there segments of the body politic that disagree with the US and Israel’s imperialist aims in Gaza? Does the EU have any awareness of its own hypocrisy? And are there consequences for those who speak out against the status quo?

Watch the full interview on Patreon.

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The historic deal brokered by China for a Saudi-Iran rapprochement reflects not only a changing region, but a shifting world order. While the US focuses on its proxy war in Ukraine, with US officials essentially blocking meaningful peace discussion both there and in Yemen, its “strategic competitor” China now looks like the adult in the room. Its diplomatic initiatives have become a force for stability in the biggest conflict regions, from Yemen to Syria.

To better understand what’s going on and what we can expect, Rania Khalek was joined by Mohammad Marandi, professor of English literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran, Iran. This is just the first half of this episode with Prof. Marandi. Visit Patreon.com to watch the full video and access other exclusive content.